Tarnos - La Digue Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s break down the Tarnos area for the next couple of weeks in feet and miles per hour.

Honestly, this is a tough outlook. The whole 16-day window is a real bust. You’re looking at a long stretch with almost nothing to surf. The first real chance doesn’t even show up until the very end, so get ready for a lot of flat, gutless days.

The water is sitting around 76°F right now, which is a good 5°F warmer than usual – that’s a real treat, bathtub warm, but it’s wasted on the tiny surf we’ve got.

For the first week and a half, from Friday the 31st of July right through to Friday the 14th of August, it’s just one poor report after another. The swell is tiny, mostly 1 to 3 feet, with weak energy readings barely cracking 80 (66 on the 31st morning, 81 on the 1st afternoon). The period is short, mostly 6 to 10 seconds, so no real punch behind it. The wind is almost always a cross-onshore or onshore breeze, chopping up what little bump there is. There’s one moment – Sunday morning the 2nd of August – where it goes glassy, and that’s a tease because the swell is a pathetic 2 feet. There’s a bit of a cleaner cross-offshore wind on the morning of the 10th, but again, the swell is only 1 feet. It’s just not happening.

The only real standout, and I mean the *only* one, is the very last day on the table.

Saturday, 15th of August – Tarnos - La Digue (France)
Now, this isn’t a classic by any means, but it’s the best we’ve got. The morning shows a 2 foot NW swell with a 5-second period, weak energy at 23. The wind is onshore from the west at 12 mph, which is messy. But later that afternoon, things get a little more interesting for the wrong reasons. The swell holds at a tiny 1 foot from the WNW, but the period stays short at 7 seconds. The energy is a very weak 18. The wind, however, is a moderate cross-onshore from the NW at 16 mph, with rain showers. Look, the numbers are terrible, but with that kind of wind and a beach/jetty setup, it actually looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The waves are going to be choppy, blown-out slop, not what you want on a surfboard. The kite crew might have some fun, though. For a surfer? You’re really just going for a paddle. Don’t kid yourself.

So, that’s the story. A long, flat, frustrating wait for a tiny bit of onshore junk at the end. Keep the board in the car, but don’t get your hopes up.

Rusty.

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